A Little Therapy
by Elwyngirlie
Summary: Tatsumi sends Tsuzuki and Hisoka to partner therapy with unexpected surprises. Hints at TsuSoka and Tatari. A little bit of fun. PostKyoto.


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Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. If it was, it wouldn't have Hisoka speaking like a valley girl (yes, it's true).

So, I'm supposed to be working on To Succumb, but I have too much work to do. Damn papers! Why don't you write yourself! (shakes fist at Hawthorne). I wrote this one for fun; it's actually a revised version of the first fanfic I wrote _ever_. Be kind; read and review, si'l vous plait.

Summary: Tatsumi send Tsuzuki and Hisoka to therapy with some unexpected surprises. Hints at TsuSoka, Tatari. Swearing. Post Kyoto. Anime only. A little OOCness.

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"I think you two should get some therapy." 

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hisoka demanded, eyeing the older man in front of him. Tsuzuki, however, was busy finishing his pie, hoping that this therapy thing would not force him to give up his sweets, as did every case.

"We are starting a new program in Meifu. Came out of the Peace Division today," Tatsumi replied. "And you two are going to be part of the test group."

"Which means…."

"It means that you will see a therapist together and work out any problems that you may have being partners."

"Humph. Will it make Tsuzuki do his paperwork?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki snorted, nearly choking on the last bit of apple pie.

"I'm not sure if anything can make Tsuzuki-san do his paperwork."Tatsumi glared at Tsuzuki as he answered Hisoka's question. "Speaking of which, I think you owe me some Tsuzuki."

"Humph," Tsuzuki grunted as he pushed away the pie tin. Hisoka felt the happy, satisfied rays emitting from him as he had finished his dessert….for once.

"When do we go?" Tsuzuki asked, finally contributing to the conversation. \\

"Tomorrow. Watari will have your doctor's appointment dropped off by tonight." With that, Tatsumi turned swiftly and walked away.

"Well this is certainly interesting." Hisoka said.

"I wonder if it will get us out of any cases that pop up," his partner replied, before returning to what he was doing before Tatsumi showed up—nothing.

* * *

The two men stood in front of the large building in Tokyo. Hisoka briefly wondered why the Peace Division decided not to employ some one within the bureaucracy to work with partners on working relationships. He shrugged. It was a trial program. Perhaps some other partners were going to a special therapist who lived in Meifu.

"I wonder who this guy is," Tsuzuki mused as they rode the elevator up to the eleventh floor.

"Beats me. Watari said the computer picked him out as one of the best," Hisoka said. He leaned up against the wall, watching Tsuzuki, whose face betrayed nothing but who radiated different emotions all at once: confusion, anticipation, anxiety. For once, Hisoka agreed with him about all three.

The doors opened and they walked down the hallway to a frosted glass door. A short blond secretary with hazel eyes asked them to sit and fill out some preliminary paperwork. Tsuzuki stifled a laugh when he was asked to fill in date of birth. _Guess I'm gonna have to lie about my age_, he thought.

"Thank you," the secretary said as she collected the papers. "The doctor will be with you in just a few minutes."

"They said he was one of the best," Hisoka said, probing for some information. He was learning that being an investigator was a job that one did not quit…except for Tsuzuki who was stretched out on the couch.

"Oh yes, although he is quite new at it," she replied before turning to her desk. The phone beeped and she picked up. After talking softly into it for less than a minute, she turned to the two men.

"The doctor will see you now," she said as she gestured toward the tall double frosted glass doors with black steel handles. Hisoka followed Tsuzuki as he opened the doors and walked inside. The office was light, with soft white carpeting and white bookshelves. Small lamps threw pools of light onto the floor and created a gentle glow. Hisoka relaxed almost immediately as he sank into one of the large white chairs.

There was a desk in front of them with a large, high backed chair behind it. The desk was not as cluttered as Hisoka imagined it would be. It had a few books and a small stack of papers. The back of the white leather chair was facing them. As the chair slowly turned around and as the clipboard dropped, Hisoka let out a scream and Tsuzuki leapt to his feet.

"You!" he yelled. The man in the chair laughed.

"Yes, Tsuzuki-san, it is me. How perceptive of you. Is this accurate identification what they pay you for?"Muraki replied. He seemed a little paler than usual but the maniac gleam was still in his pale gray eye. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose before turning to give Hisoka a curt nod.

"We are so out of here," Hisoka managed to say, standing up and grabbing Tsuzuki's arm to pull him away.

"Why? Perhaps I can help you and Tsuzuki-san find what is wrong with your….partnership," Muraki's voice dropped on the last word, lingering over each vowel, making it full of implications that Hisoka had not wanted to consider. Tsuzuki blushed and shouted, "Muraki!"

"Why would we trust you?" Hisoka asked, surprised to find his voice so steady. Muraki did not look at him as he replied, "Why not? Perhaps I have found a new me."

"Unlikely," Tsuzuki retorted, annoyed with Muraki for believing he could go out and find himself. "You can not go out and find yourself, like you find a new coat, Muraki. You are as evil a prick as you ever were."

"I disagree, Tsuzuki-san. After you stabbed me, I went home, here to Tokyo. After hours of surgery to repair what you did, I went into a coma. When I awoke, I realized I had been wrong. I have turned over a new leaf. I want to help people, show them the light," Muraki got up from his chair and walked over to the small bar he had in the office. He poured himself a small glass of whiskey and turned toward the pair of men, standing by the door. Hisoka's hand was resting on the door handle with his other hand tugging lightly at Tsuzuki's coat, begging to go. Tsuzuki, however, was staring at Muraki, taking in every movement, aware that the last time they met, Muraki wanted to decapitate him and use his body to transplant Saki's head.

"I want to help others, Tsuzuki. That is why I went back to school and earned my degree in psychology. I can help anyone, anyway I can. I can repair their bodies and their minds. And soon, with my new business degree, I can set up my own business to do this in Japan. And perhaps in the rest of the world."

"Does this sound like a plan of world domination? Because it sounds like it to me," Tsuzuki said. He stood up straight, using every inch of his height to intimidate Muraki, even though Muraki was taller.

"Thank you for the lecture, Dr. Muraki. Unfortunately, my _partner_ and I have better things to do to enhance our partnership," Tsuzuki said, placing the same amount of emphasis on partner and partnership as Muraki had. Muraki raised his eyebrow and Hisoka realized that Tsuzuki was trying to make him jealous. To help him, Hisoka let his hand slip into Tsuzuki's and gripped it tightly. With that, they left the office. Muraki had said nothing during their display.

Back in Meifu, Tsuzuki related everything to Tatsumi. When hearing that Muraki was alive, Tatsumi began to shake with anger. Overcome with how much he was radiating, Hisoka had to flee the room, unable to handle it, even with his shields up.

"Are you telling me that Watari gave you an appointment with Muraki?" he asked, his voice shaking with anger.

"That's about right," Tsuzuki replied. "Although I think Watari had the computer do it and did not look closely."

"He is so fired," Tatsumi said through clenched teeth.

"Or maybe not," Tsuzuki said. "I am going to write this up and submit it so you can give it to whomever. I am tired of Muraki threatening me and Hisoka. It's so last decade." With that Tsuzuki left the room to go comfort Hisoka.

"Hey kid, wanna get some ice cream?" he said, opening the door for Hisoka who looked up in surprise. He wanted to ask why they were not doing paperwork. "Ice cream first, paperwork later," Tsuzuki said, responding to his unasked question. He patted Hisoka on the shoulder, "I want mint chocolate chip."

"Hmmm…..I think I want vanilla."

"You are o boring,'Soka, always choosing vanilla instead of something different and darker and sweeter," Tsuzuki commented as they walked out the door.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi was storming down the hall toward Watari's office.

"Watari!" he shouted as he burst into the lab. Watari was bent over a lab table, cleaning up a spill.

"Hmm? Yes?" he said, throwing a paper towel in the bin before turning around and tucking a piece of stray blonde hair behind an ear. That one simple gesture reminded Tatsumi how guiltlessly eccentric Watari was. Tatsumi knew what his anger could do and suddenly, he was not so angry with the younger man.

"You…you set up an appointment in Tokyo for Hisoka and Tsuzuki. Did you happen to read the name?"

"Ummm…no. I was too busy trying to save an experiment," Watari said, his eyes focusing on something behind Tatsumi's shoulder. "Oh no!" he cried at and ran over to another table, knocking Tatsumi over in the process. Something in a beaker was overflowing and Watari was desperately trying to stop the flow. Tatsumi sighed and stood up, giving Watari a rag to wipe out the mess.

"These failed experiments are taking too much out of our budget," Tatsumi said. Watari's shoulders slumped as he waited to hear the usual speech about saving money, doing experiments for the good of the company, etc., etc. However, Tatsumi did not deliver the speech. Instead he put his hand on Watari's shoulder.

"Watari, what are you doing tonight? I would like to discuss budget issues and the Tsuzuki case with you over dinner," Tatsumi murmured, his lips close to Watari's ear. Watari looked up, trying to keep the hope from his eyes.

"Umm…dinner sounds great," he replied.

"Good. I'll pick you up at six."

Things in Meifu seemed to be settling back into their place. Hisoka was constantly nagging Tsuzuki, showing up at his door every morning to make sure he got to work on time. Tatsumi was still reminding Tsuzuki to turn in paperwork due twelve years earlier but he seemed a little more relaxed about it. Perhaps he was glad that Tsuzuki did not have to fight Muraki. Or perhaps it was because of the relationship that was growing between him and Watari.

As for Muraki, he continued to work as a one of the best surgeons in Tokyo. He was engaged to a young woman that he met while earning his psychology degree. Things seemed to be as he told Tsuzuki that they were. However, a series of strange murders began to occur in Tokyo, with young men losing their heads. Was it him? Or was it some other crazed murderer running around the city?

Nah, it was him. Some things never change.

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_Yes, I know Muraki has a fiancee, named Udoko, but I axed her. This one was much more exicting. He's supposed to have found a new self (and by that I mean, a new fiancee. Shouldn't one's future wife remind one of one's self? Ideally, anyways). _

_Hope you enjoyed this little bit of fun. If you did, please review! If you didn't, please review! (No flames, please). _

_Writing this, I feel like a 14 year old fangirl. If only... _


End file.
